1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a decorative and protective molding strip for automobiles and the like, and more particularly to securement of such a strip along a free edge or corner of the sheet material from which the vehicle body is constructed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The molding or trim strips of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,439,950, 3,531,348 and 3,572,798 to Alex Kunevicius are representative of many such decorative and protective strips disclosed in the prior art. In recent years such resilient extruded members formed of various plastics have replaced the metallic strips formerly employed for this purpose. The strips originally were applied to the relatively flat surface areas of the vehicle and were affixed to the supporting surface as by means of various fasteners, by being inserted in a metal backing strip or by an adhesive layer affixed to their rear surface.
It has also been found desirable from both a decorative and a protective standpoint to outline the wheel openings, or so-called wheel wells, of a vehicle's fenders with a molding or trim strip. Due to the rather sharply curved path which such strips must follow and the conditions to which they are subjected, it has heretofore been deemed preferable to fabricate such outline moldings of metal and secure them in place by fasteners which penetrate the underlying sheet material, such as self-tapping screws. As is well known, any such fastener penetrating the sheet metal from which most vehicles are fabricated serves as a potential site for corrosion. The metal strips also tend to become dented and deformed so as to be unattractive after a period of time. For this reason, as well as the substantial savings in time and labor which could be realized, it has been felt that use of resilient, deformable, plastic strips of the general type disclosed in the aforementioned United States patents would be preferred in place of the conventional metal strips for this purpose. Nevertheless, due to the particular configuration of the opening which the strip must follow, it has not heretofore been deemed feasible to employ plastic members unless they were affixed to the underlying sheet metal with penetrating fasteners such as self-tapping screws. This would, of course, create potential sites for corrosion and at least partially defeat the purpose of the plastic strips.